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17 December 2010

I love making and baking food Christmas gifts. If I am organised enough, I like to make gifts for my family and friends. I find it more satisfying to give homemade gifts rather than store bought ones.

I decided to make jam, after finding I had an abundance of strawberries when we went strawberry picking. I've never made jam before. I guess it's because I've always thought it was complicated to make. It couldn't be further from the truth.

I discovered this jam setting sugar. It definitely makes it easier to make jam. All you need are strawberries (or any other berries you like), jam setting sugar and a knob of butter to give it a bit of a gloss.

Place 1 kg of strawberries in a pot and smash them. I like to leave it a little chunky so the jam has a little texture after it's cooked. Add 1 kg of the jam setting sugar and place on a low heat. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat till the mixture gets to a rolling boil. Let it boil for 4 minutes. To check if it's ready, place a small dollop of jam on a saucer. Drag your finger through it, and if it wrinkles, it's ready. Skim off the foam on top and pour into sterilized jars.

I will definitely make jam again. If I knew it was this easy to make, I would've made this long ago.

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comments:

Such lovely jars of sweet jam! I'm doing homemade gifts for Christmas, too, and love to receive them. If only strawberries were as abundant here as they apparently are near you! Lucky recipients... 8-)